Summer Eats & Treats from Applebee’s (& Giveaway)

Something I didn’t mention in my two recent posts about visiting Nashville, Tennessee (that you can read here and here) was how much time I spend outside the city here. Nashville is fun for sightseeing, shopping, and fine dining, but there is much more to see in the area. So when I spent time exploring the countryside (as you can see from my recent Instagram posts), it made sense to try a restaurant with a familiar name, Applebee’s, who recently debuted their wood fired grill menu that I was invited in to try.

Summer Eats & Treats from Applebee’s

Checking Out The Dining Area

We drove to the Applebee’s in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which is a rather remote area about an hour outside of Nashville, and I ordered enough for my parents, me, and my two kids to eat for lunch, dinner, and leftovers for the next day. My kids were super excited to sit down at a restaurant. Since we went on a weekday afternoon, the dining area was empty. This was perfect for energetic kids because they couldn’t disturb any other guests there.

I treated each of my kids to a milk and an apple juice. They were so happy to get their pick of items off the menu. The lighting was nice inside the restaurant, and there was plenty of space inside our booth.

Food Begins To Arrive: The Boneless Wings

We started off our meal with the boneless wings. Even though I mainly ordered these for my kids to eat, I had to try a couple myself. The texture was a lot like a chicken nugget with real chicken inside. Everyone loved the sauce, which was sweet, flavorful, and kid-friendly.

These wings were enough to fill both of my girls up enough that they couldn’t help eat the rest of the food we ordered (except the dessert). They loved the wings so much they are every last bite and had none left over to take home. Since they can be really picky about their food, I took this as a huge compliment showing how tasty the wings were.

Wood Fired Grill Salad: The Latest To Debut At Applebee’s

One of the latest items to debut at Applebee’s is the wood fired grill menu. Not only can you can buy meat dishes that have been cooked on the wood fired grill, but there are also delicious salads with that smoky, grilled flavor. In honor of National Watermelon Day on August 3rd, I ordered the Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp Salad.

After a long day of watching to kids play outside in the most unbearable heat, this salad was the most refreshing dish! Paired with a savory feta cheese, the watermelon gave a light and hydrating touch to the salad. There was a light dressing that contrasted the bold flavor of the spicy shrimp. I loved the balance of flavor and textures.

French Onion Soup

An appetizer we ordered was the French Onion Soup. I liked the amount of cheese and onions. The flavor of the broth was rich but not overly bold. Although a restaurant French Onion Soup can’t quite compare to the homemade French Onion Soup we sometimes have, this was a good effort and was overall successful and tasty.

Wood Fired Grill Steak with Broccoli and Green Beans

Another item we ordered was the wood fired grill steak with broccoli and green beans. I thought the green beans were amazing. They were cooked well enough that they weren’t tough at all, and they had a delicious garlic butter flavor. The steak was a great cut with minimal fat. It was cooked nicely and had a good flavor. You can really taste that the steak was cooked on a wood fired grill.

Wood Fired Grill Salmon with Broccoli and Green Beans

For a seafood dish with a woody taste, you can order the wood fired grill salmon. This dish has a delicious smoky flavor and comes in a generous helping of salmon. In fact, there was plenty of salmon for two meals since this dish was more than enough for lunch. The sides were cooked very well.

Full Rack Of Ribs With Macaroni And French Fries

So, with a $100 gift card to spend, it only made sense to order an extra dish to take home. I ordered the full plate of ribs with a side of macaroni and french fries, hoping that my kids would eat this after their wings. Since they filled up on the wings, they ended up not touching this rib plate, leaving me with plenty for dinner and lunch for the next day. The ribs were cooked nicely and had a good flavor. I liked the barbeque, which was sweet and smoky.

The macaroni had a gourmet flavor with chunks of bacon on top. I liked the large, chunky macaroni noodles and the creamy cheddar taste. My kids enjoyed the fries.

Brownie Bite

For dessert, the kids split the Blue Ribbon Brownie bite that had a nice mixture of hot fudge and cool ice cream. The size of this dessert was nice and small, so it was perfect for kids or adults trying to eat healthy. I also ordered each kid a milk shake, which they loved.

Triple Chocolate Meltdown

Another dessert we ordered was the Triple Chocolate Meltdown. This was incredibly rich and chocolatey. For anyone craving chocolate, this dish is the perfect item. There was more than enough to share. When you’re eating this dish, you really need to fill each spoonful with some brownie and some ice cream to balance out the rich flavors.

Overall, we had a delicious meal with so many different dishes to try! I loved sampling everyone’s dishes. This was a fun outing for the whole family, and everyone was happy with their food.

Giveaway

I’m giving away two $50 gift cards to Applebee’s! To enter, just leave an answer in the comments to this question – which new grilled salad at Applebee’s would you try and why? Then, to get credit for your entry and to get additional entries, use this simple Rafflecopter widget.a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also enter a sweepstakes hosted by Applebee’s. Guests are invited to submit their favorite salad recipes via photo or text on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #WoodFired and #Sweepstakes and tagging the Applebee’s account, for the chance to win a $100 Applebee’s gift card. The sweepstakes runs from July 20 through August 3 (National Watermelon Day).

Disclosure

I received a free Applebee’s gift card, but it in no way influenced my opinion.

About The Author

Theresa has been writing since 2010 in magazines and online. Her lifestyle and parenting expertise has been featured in publications, including ShopSmart and Scholastic. She earned an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt as well as a BA in History from Flagler College, and she is a certified teacher.

You have me sold on the Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp salad. It looks absolutely mouth watering. I can imagine how delicious the blend of the cool, sweet watermelon is with the spicy shrimp!! Yum!!

Of course I would like to try the Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp Salad! It sounds and looks delish! Your girls are beautiful and your food pics are absolutely mouth watering. Well-done! I just noticed you;re a certified teacher. I am too! 🙂

I absolutely love Applebees!! It’s such a staple with me and my family since there’s one so close to my house as well as well as one right where we go on vacation every year. I’m so excited about their rebranding, and I’m sure I’ll be off to get some of their new food soon! The salad I’d most like to try off their new menu is the Crispy Chicken ’N Cornbread Salad, I love crispy chicken (makes me feel a little less like I’m eating a salad (; hehe!) and duh, who doesn’t love cornbread!

I’d love to try the Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp Salad because it looks delicious! I love watermelon and shrimp but have never had a chance to enjoy them in a salad 🙂 I love trying something new too.

Welcome!

If you’re looking for lifestyle, entertainment and family fun ideas, you’re in the right place!

My name is Theresa Pickett, and I have been writing for websites and magazines since 2010 after being an actress, movie producer, and casting director in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville since 2007. I work as a brand ambassador to major lifestyle brands, and my work has been featured on FOX News and more.

I am a mom of two children and a certified teacher with an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt University. With my blog, I hope to inspire parents to find celebrations in every day moments, to enjoy finding learning opportunities for their children in unexpected places, and to find time for themselves as well.